In the footsteps of the famous five

Born within a year of each other the big five won 16 majors between them. Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam transformed the game and turned the eurogolf caravan park into a luxury hotel. Now Faldo wants the next big five to stand up and be counted.

The men he has in mind are Paul Casey, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Nick Dougherty. They add up to a six pack, but is Faldo premature when he says: "We need to find the big five again to carry the tour on for the next five years. They have the potential." Then, pausing on each word, he says, "We will see."

The average age of the sextet is 23 and only Ballesteros among the big five had won a major by that age. Langer and Lyle were 27 before they won their first, Faldo was on the cusp of 30 and Woosnam had to wait until he was 33. Is it fair or even realistic to think one of that sextet can win a major championship so early in their careers?

Rose certainly thinks so. He points out that Ernie Els was 24 when he won his first major and says: "We're approaching that age now when we should be thinking of winning majors. That's the only way you're going to make a name for yourself now."

This year Rose has changed his schedule in an attempt to peak for the majors. Asked if he would be surprised if one of the young Europeans hadn't won a major by the end of next year he thought for quite a while then said: "Possibly I would be surprised. Age is less of a barrier. The guys have the talent. It's just a question of believing it."

He is not alone. David Leadbetter, who coaches Rose, says: "I think it's very feasible in the next year or so that one of the young guys is going to break through. When that happens I think it will open the floodgates. It only takes one and it will drive the others on."

That has been evident in recent months. Last week Rose, Casey and McDowell finished in a tie for fifth at the Deutsche Bank while Donald played in the penultimate group on the final day of the Byron Nelson Classic in the US.

Commentating on television, Brian Barnes said that he thought Donald would be helped by the relative nonentity of his playing partner Cameron Beckman. You knew what Barnes meant, but I suspect the opposite was true. The bigger the name, the more Donald would have liked it.

The six shooters are like that. Casey was asked in Germany if he fancied playing with Tiger Woods before a major. He grinned and said: "I hope I'm playing with him in majors. I'd love to be coming down the stretch against Tiger."

Casey, who is not shy of saying that he wants to win all four majors, has that necessary edge. "I can be very cocky. I get ****** off when I don't accomplish what I want to. But I don't dwell on it. I'm sure it is more difficult to win majors now than it used to be. Faldo won six. Four in 10 years time might be the equivalent of Faldo winning six," he says.

The next major is the US Open. The big five never won a US Open. Faldo will probably say yet. Nor did they win a USPGA. The Europeans had a rough time of it in the high grass of those American courses. The jet lag and unfamiliarity were also factors that counted against them.

But the modern group appear not to have these hang-ups. Garcia finished second in his first US major as a professional. Rose made the cut in his first two US majors, a feat that was beyond Langer, Lyle and Woosnam. Anticipating next month's US Open, Rose says: "I enjoy penal courses where strategy is more of an issue. I like par golf."

Casey, Donald and McDowell each have the huge advantage of the years that they spent at American colleges. "I want to be a major player," McDowell says. "Over the past 20 years British players would go over there without any American background. Now, with the American experience already built in, straight away we can go over there and be ready to play. It should stand us in good stead for the US Open and the USPGA."

There are several striking comparisons between the big five and the quite large six. Apart from the obvious Spanish connection, Seve and Garcia have brilliant short games, won tournaments in their teens and possess a certain combustibility.

Rose, who played in a Walker Cup when barely 17, was arguably as prodigious an amateur as Lyle. Donald plays similar equipment to Langer, sometimes practises with the German and has a comparable game and mental toughness. Dougherty, who is suffering from suspected glandular fever, worshipped Faldo as a youngster and often seeks him out for advice.

And what of Woosnam? Where does he fit in? I don't think McDowell or Casey ever lived in a camper van or survived on a diet of baked beans. They haven't spoken of worshipping Woosie as youngsters. Nor are they seen as future presidents of the World Snooker Association.

Maybe Woosnam is the man who will bring them all together. Maybe Woosnam is the future Ryder Cup captain best qualified to handle a six pack. And maybe he won't be the only man on that team with a major to his name.